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Olympics: Giovanni Malago (picture) has been re-elected as the president of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). The 57-year-old businessman has served as the committee’s president since February 2013 and yesterday was re-elected by a landslide majority, winning 67 votes and seeing off his opponent Sergio Grifoni, who polled two votes. Malago, who will remain at the head of Italian sport until 2020, led Rome’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games until it was withdrawn last September due to local government pressure. He was, however, instrumental in 2015 as Italy secured its first ever Ryder Cup event, with Rome chosen to host the intercontinental team golf competition in 2022.
Cycling: Swiss Silvan Dillier won his maiden grand tour victory when he prevailed at the end of a long breakaway in the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday. The BMC rider outsprinted breakaway companion Jasper Stuyven of Belgium (Trek-Segafredo) in the final short climb, with Austrian Lukas Poestlberger (Bora-Hansgrohe) taking third place 12 seconds back. Luxembourg’s Bob Jungels retained the overall leader’s pink jersey after finishing the 217-km ride from Reggio Calabria to Terme Luigiane in the main pack.
Motor Racing: British Formula One great Stirling Moss has returned home after 134 days in hospital battling a chest infection, a statement on his personal website said. The 87-year-old was admitted to hospital on Dec. 22 in Singapore, where he had been due to embark on a Christmas cruise with friends. “He is thrilled to be back where he belongs,” the statement said. “He still has a substantial amount of recovery to undertake but says that he has determination and a great pit crew.”
Rugby: All Blacks captain Kieran Read is unlikely to play any rugby before the first test against the British and Irish Lions on June 24 as he recovers from a broken thumb. The 31-year-old suffered the injury while playing for the Canterbury Crusaders against South Africa’s Cheetahs on April 29 and had surgery. He was told he would need six weeks to recover, which would put his return date around June 10. “At the moment they are kind of saying you can’t use it for six weeks, which is a week before the Samoa game,” Read told New Zealand’s Radio Sport. “We’ll just have to see if I push it, or let things go before that first test (against the Lions).”
Basketball, NBA: The Boston Celtics beat the Washington Wizards to move to within a game of a place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference final. The hosts started strongly at TD Garden on Wednesday and never looked back, sealing a 123-101 win which moved them 3-2 ahead in the seven-game series. Avery Bradley led the scoring for Boston with 29 points to make sure Washington need to win game six at the Verizon Center today to keep alive hopes of facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the final.